Update #18 (Dec. 29 10:18 AM Eastern): Nintendo's online services, as well as Valve's, Sony's, and Microsoft's all appear to be running normally. Nintendo has apologized for the downtime and has offered an explanation for the errors.

The explanation for the downtime appeared on Nintendo's Facebook page, and details what we were all assuming: that the service was struggling under the weight of new users who received new Nintendo devices for Christmas. You can check out the full post below, or on Nintendo's Facebook page.

Thank you very much for your patience while we perform maintenance on the Nintendo eShop and Nintendo Network. We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support. We wanted to share some details on what is causing this downtime, and update you on the current outage in service.

The initial outage was primarily caused by a one-time surge in demand over the recent holidays, compounded by the following:

1) An influx of new Nintendo Network accounts being created and accessing the Nintendo eShop.2) Existing Nintendo 3DS account information being moved to new Nintendo Network accounts.

We are continuing to adjust our network to meet the needs of all our services and applications. To ensure our global audience has an expected level of consistency in service, we took the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS offline. We expect to have it back online no later than 4 a.m. ET on Dec. 29, but may have to perform more maintenance in the future.

We truly apologize for the inconsistencies in our online services. We are working hard around the clock to fully restore these functions, and will continue to keep you updated on our progress.

As mentioned above, the service is back up and running, according to Nintendo's network availability page, but it may go back down if necessary. We will make sure to let you know if that is going to happen.

Update #17 (Dec. 28 2:08 PM Eastern):The 3DS Nintendo eShop is going down for a few hours starting at 4 PM. If you've got something you need to download, now is the time to do it. According to Nintendo's network availability page, the 3DS eShop will be down today from 4 PM Eastern until 4 AM Eastern. Wii U, Wii, and DSi eShops will be unaffected.

Update #16 (Dec. 28 7:45 AM Eastern): The Nintendo eShop is back up. All services are functioning normally at this time.

Update #15 (Dec. 27 5:00 PM Eastern): As a reminder, the Nintendo eShop is down across the company's platforms. The maintenance outage began at 4 PM Eastern and will continue for 12 hours. Should there be a delay in bringing the service back up tomorrow, we'll be sure to update.

All other services, including PSN (which was having problems earlier), appear to be up and running.

Update #14 (Dec. 27, 12:55 PM Eastern): The PlayStation Network is once again experiencing problems. "If you are currently having trouble signing in to PSN, please try again later," Sony stated via the @AskPlayStation account. "We apologize for any inconvenience."

Update #13 (Dec. 27, 10:30 AM Eastern): Nintendo eShop will be going offline worldwide for maintenance later today. If you can connect, get your purchases and downloads in now.

Update #12 (Dec. 27, 6:05 AM Eastern): Users are reporting success accessing the Nintendo eShop and even downloading titles. Nintendo still reports that services are affected intermittently, which is a change from the alert that the eShop is down entirely. You may have luck, but be aware that things might be rough for a bit.

We currently have no problems accessing the profile and friends function on PSN. There's no update yet on uPlay, as Ubisoft doesn't have a readily available status page. We'll share more as we know it.

Update #11 (Dec. 26, 10:05 PM Eastern): Ubisoft's uPlay platform appears to be having trouble. A number of readers are reporting to us that the system's inoperability is preventing access to some parts of Assassin's Creed IV, namely the Kenway's Fleet aspects of the single-player game.

Sony also hasn't yet brought friends and profile browsing back online. The PlayStation Store worked when last we logged in via PS4 and the web portal. We'll update as we know more.

Update #10 (Dec. 26, 5:25 PM Eastern): Multiple reports and our own tests evidence that PlayStation Network is currently having problems. We are unable to view friends lists, with error CE-34861-2 reporting back upon attempts. The same "cannot connect to server" message appears when trying to access profiles via the console and mobile app.

Additionally, we have no good news to report about the Nintendo eShop status. It continues to be down across platforms.

Update #9 (Dec. 26, 6:25 AM Eastern): At this time, Steam, PSN, and Xbox Live are all working normally (with the exception of Kinect Nat Geo on Xbox Live). Unfortunately, Nintendo's services across all four of its platforms (Wii U, 3DS, Wii, DSi) are still experiencing some problems. This appears to be related still to the eShop. We'll continue to monitor throughout the day.

Update #8 (Dec. 25, 9:10 PM Eastern): The light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter. Here's an update on Steam. We've been able to progress further through the purchasing process, but it's not clear if everything is back to normal just yet.

The good news is that the last four games in the flash sale (Kingdoms Rise, Guncraft, King of Fighters XIII, and Dungeon Defenders) have had their discounts extended by another 16 hours. You have not missed your chance. Just search for them in the store.

Update #7 (Dec. 25, 7:48 PM Eastern): We spoke too soon. While the Steam storefront is now viewable and items can be added to the cart, purchases are still down. We'll keep an eye on it and let you know when you can open your wallet for Valve again.

Update #6 (Dec. 25, 7:28 PM Eastern): Good news! Steam appears to be back up. Now, if you'll just form an orderly line to get your free copy of Left 4 Dead 2...

Update #5 (Dec. 25, 6:37 PM Eastern): Add Microsoft to the watch list. Xbox Live services on Xbox One are now diminished.

On the Xbox Live service page, Microsoft notes that social and gaming aspects on the Xbox One are "limited. You can keep track of Xbox Live status here.

Update #4 (Dec. 25, 4:37 PM Eastern): The PlayStation Network seems to fairing better. We've had some reports that Xbox Live stumbled, but it appears to be functioning as normal right now. The Wii U experience has improved a bit, with the status upgraded a bit, and only some online services suffering.

Update #3 (Dec. 25, 3:02 PM Eastern): Add Steam to the list of services having problems today. Valve is offering Left 4 Dead 2 for free today, and the demand has ground the Steam storefront to a halt. We're adding this to our watch list.

On the Nintendo front, the formerly online Wii and DSi services have now been downgrade. Some parts of those services are currently experiencing "technical difficulties."

Original Story (Dec. 25, 10:24 AM Eastern):

Both Sony and Nintendo are having trouble keeping up with the families unwrapping new PlayStation 4, Wii U, and 3DS units. We’ve tested the PlayStation Store, the eShop, and the Xbox One Marketplace. The latter is the only that seems to be stable right now.

Logging in is possible on the PlayStation Network, but attempting to access the store reports back error code E-820001F7 and a note that “the service is currently undergoing maintenance.” Past instances of this error code have also been paired with an inability to play online using the PlayStation Network, so be aware that your multiplayer experience may be affected.

You can keep tabs on the PlayStation Network via Sony's PSN status page. Right now, the entire PlayStation Network is being reported as "Offline."

Accessing the Wii U eShop results in error 107-3058. Searching for that error code on the Nintendo website (with and without the hyphen) comes up with a note that this specific code isn’t in the database. Readers also report similar problems on 3DS.

Nintendo, too, has a service status page that you can visit for updates. Right now, the Wii U online services are down entirely. The 3DS is also experiencing problems.

We’ll keep an eye on the PlayStation Network and Wii U eShop and update as more information is available. For those of you just unwrapping a new console, please let us know what your experiencing, especially since the PS4 requires an update to access all of its features.

Our TakeThis is not a good look for Sony and Nintendo. The first experience new owners are having with their consoles is likely to be one of frustration. Here’s hoping this gets settled quickly and families can carry on with their holidays.